


Restoration

by OoOMagnoliaOoO



Series: Leonora and Arthur universe [12]
Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Bring tissues, Danse is dead, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Getting Back Together, Grief/Mourning, Reconciliation, Short & Sweet, Sorry Not Sorry, sort of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-27
Updated: 2017-04-27
Packaged: 2018-10-24 14:28:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10743576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OoOMagnoliaOoO/pseuds/OoOMagnoliaOoO
Summary: It took one death and three years later for Nora and Arthur to find their way back to each other...[Sequel to "It's the end of the world."]





	Restoration

**Author's Note:**

  * For [](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts).



> Sequel to "It's the end of the world". Enjoy!

It was a rainy afternoon in the former city of Washington D.C.

The afternoon sky had been clear and blue until an hour ago when the rain had suddenly fallen out of nowhere. The new Initiates had barely had enough time to gather their equipment from the training-yard before the first droplets had hit their power armor, making everyone stare up in astonishment. 

Arthur had been there, following their gaze to the skies as the water poured down. The first drop caught him by surprise just as much to him as to the rest of his team. Cursing loudly, the Paladin in charge of training the new soldiers issued the order for everyone to retire for the day, the drops turning into hail. 

The High Elder had simply turned his heel, walking towards his office; now a soaked mess. His hair had fallen out of its neatly kept hairdo, obscuring his vision. He needed to get it cut one of these days, but couldn’t find it within himself to walk through three corridors into the barber’s quarters. 

Instead, he just let it be, deeming it a luxury that he couldn’t afford; time wise. So he got to work on the only thing he could do when the weather decided to change suddenly. 

_ Paperwork. _

So much paperwork that needed his attention, and only a fine amount of hours in a day to actually get something like this done. Sixteen hours each day, leaving him eight for sleep - though he actually only utilized three - wondering where his life had taken such a sudden turn. 

“When she left.” He muttered aloud, amazed by his own voice. It was hoarse, probably from years of neglected sleep and even further time spent huffing down on those damned cigarettes. 

Yes, after Nora had left him, Arthur became a shell of a man - walking around only to exist. He never realized how much pain it had brought him to sign those damn papers, waiting for her to do the same. But the carrier never returned with the parchment, so in the eyes of the law - they were still very much married. 

And that irked him. Because after her apparent refusal to sign the divorce papers, he couldn’t marry another. Not that he wanted to, but the other Elders were growing more impatient with each passing years. She had been the one insisting of their divorce in the first place… 

Three years later, and no wife to carry his children, the Maxson line was at a dangerously fine tipping point. It wouldn’t take long until the scale finally tipped over and the world was left without the legacy. 

Casdin had been on his ass the entire time, refusing to five the twenty-three year old Elder a break. 

Arthur tossed the pen back to the desk, upset - angry and exasperated - all at the same time. 

A sharp rap to his office doors confused him. He wasn’t expecting any visitors, and there were no meetings planned. But curiosity killed the cat, so to speak, and right now he could use a distraction from the nutrition forms he had been filling out. 

“Enter.” He called out curtly, not bothering to eye the door as the intruder approached. There was a pregnant pause, not so much as a breath could be heard. At first he thought he might have imagined it, but when the stranger sighed - he knew that had not. 

“Danse is dead.” His head whipped up, coming face to face with a woman he had not set eyes upon in over three years. The years had been kind to her, and apart from a fresh scar protruding from her temple to her chin, nothing had changed. Her alluring curves still spoke to him, her brown hair still the same length; falling short of the small of her back, and her eyes still carried the same glowering passion that Arthur had missed. 

Even when they were filled to the brim with tears that must have been falling for hours. 

She was drenched through, no doubt from having walked in the rain. That got him thinking just how the hell she’d gotten from Boston all the way to Washington. 

The Commonwealth chapter would have informed him in case they’d decided to loan the Minutemen a Vertibird. They were property of the Brotherhood after all, and not just anyone could request a ride… not even the General. 

Her attire consisted of a warm, thick, green jacket that complemented her skin tone. She carried a heavy bag, with guns strapped to her thighs - ready to be drawn at any given moment. The boots on her feet were old and worn out, probably from the time spent wearing them. 

He came to the conclusion that she’d walked all the way, astonishing him further. The Citadel wasn’t exactly a hop, skip and jump away from the Commonwealth. In fact, he was sure that a trip like this would have taken her at least a month to make on her own, on foot with minimal backup in case things should go array. 

Arthur wanted to curse her for not having thought this through. For walking all on her own without a companion to shield her should danger arise. Why was she alone? The words she’d spoken suddenly seemed to register in his mind, jolting his frozen brain. 

_ “Danse is dead.”  _

“What?” He said, stricken with grief at her confession. 

“Danse is dead.” She repeated, eyes glossing over with fresh tears. “He died a few months ago actually. Pneumonia.” 

Quinlan had long since theorized that it was impossible for synths to fall sick from human illnesses, but her expression spoke the truth - contradicting the Proctor’s assessment. And now, his best friend was dead. 

He regretted many things in his life. The first was ever letting Quinlan decrypt the data from the Institute. The second was letting his wife walk out on him. The third was not stopping her.

And the fourth was this - not being there when his best friend passed away. 

Arthur should have been there… he should have been there for Danse when he needed him the most. He should have sat by his deathbed and consoled his friend. But he hadn’t been there - and the pain of realizing that was worse than anything he’d experienced in his life. 

“Oh…” The words seemed to just slip out, and he was unable to figure out that it had been him who had spoken them. 

Nora nodded, neither angry nor confused. Just saddened with grief. “Yeah… I just thought you deserved to know.” He wanted to scream. He wanted to yell at her for lying. Arthur wanted to kick, and scream and main every object in his office. But he sat still, waiting for her to make the next move. 

But Leonora was just as frozen to the spot as he was. 

“Thank you for informing me.” He rasped out, tears threatening to fall, without actually doing so. He had to remind himself that he was  _ High Elder Arthur Maxson  _ of the Brotherhood of Steel. Synths were the enemy… not friends. 

Nora snorted. “Yeah… whatever.” She made no move to leave. She just stood there, staring at him in disappointment. There was the resentment that he’d gotten accustomed to over the course of their marriage. That long, lingering look of utter contempt that seeped into his bone. She crossed her arms over her chest, brows furrowing. “He talked about you… before he died.” 

“Is that so?” He asked, voice wavering for a second. 

“Yes. Quite a lot actually. He wanted me to give you this.” She took four long strides over to his desk, slamming down a holotape and the former Paladin’s holotags - hard enough to make the entire piece of furniture verberate under the sheer pressure. “I hope they grant you some closure…” He expected her to leave. Or possibly fight him. 

But the most curious thing happened. 

Leonora didn’t lash out… and she never left. Instead, she walked around the edge of his desk, pushed his chair back, and sat down in his lap. 

At first the gesture was so foreign to Arthur that he had to take a moment just to realize what had happened, awkwardly stiffening up to avoid scaring her. But the tears staining his uniform, seeping through the fabric there, was too much to bare. 

His arms instinctively wrapped around her body, engulfing her completely. He leaned down, kissing her forehead as she wept like a child. 

“Why did you leave?” She sobbed, not waiting for him to answer. “Why did you leave me, Arthur?” He shook his head, kissed her forehead and sighed deeply. 

“You asked me to…” He finally replied. 

Leonora sat up, slapping his arm. Not hard enough to hurt, but enough to make him feel the years up pent up anger. 

“You should have been there!” She screamed, raining down slaps to his chest. “You should have been there, but you weren’t…” He grabbed ahold of her wrists. Nora didn’t struggle. She just sat there, sobbing violently - leaning into the touch. 

She’d been away for so long, but now that he finally held her again - it was as if she’d never left. As if though she’d always been there, just invisible to his searching eyes. He brushed away the messy strands of auburn hair from her face, her eyes staring back at him with so much sadness, it jabbed him straight through the heart. 

He didn’t want to be the cause of her grief. With a swift motion, he kissed her wettened cheeks, drawing circles on her waist. 

“I’ll never leave you again.” He said, a few rebellious tears falling - despite his best efforts to keep them at bay. “Stay here… with me. I know that you have responsibilities back in the Commonwealth, but you can return for short periods of time and then-” 

Her moist lips met his, the softness being just how he remembered it. It was tender, and chaste - but sent sparks flying through his body and into his heart. A heart he had thought was dead… until she resurrected it. 

It was as though he’d been dying inside for years, and could only be brought back to life again by her touch. 

Leonora leaned back, shaking her head. “I stopped being the General shortly after I left the Prydwen…” She paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. “I haven’t been back to Boston since then.” 

He raised his brows, mouth hanging ajar. “Where have you been, Nora?” 

“Here… right here in the Capital Wasteland. Rivet City mostly… but also Megaton.” He gasped, wiping away a few tears. 

“You mean to tell me that you’ve been here, in Washington, the entire time? The patrols should have informed me-” 

“Danse and I avoided the Brotherhood like the plague. They don’t really…” She paused again, sobbing. “They don’t really travel into Megaton that frequently.” 

“You said you went to Rivet City as well. The Brotherhood has many dealings there. It’s closeby to Jefferson memorial.” 

She nodded. “There’s an abandoned part of it… underneath the hangar. We’ve been living there while the Brotherhood forces were in town.” Arthur kissed her forehead, hands reaching up to touch her face. 

It had been so long. She’d lost too much weight, he determined, her cheekbones had become more predominant. But she was just as soft, and just as vivatios, as she had once been. 

He smiled through the sorrow, resting his forehead against hers. “Nora… stay here with me.” 

Leonora nodded, lips quivering. “Arthur… I never really left.”    
  
  


_ And despite the pain that they had once caused, the Elder and the vault dweller finally found solace with the little piece of happiness they still had. Each other.  _

**_The end._ **

**Author's Note:**

> I am so sorry, guys *^*. I shouldn’t have killed Danse. I’m just gonna go jump off a cliff now TT^TT. 
> 
> But in the end, this was what they needed to get back together. 
> 
> I just wanted to thank you all for reading, and I dedicate this story to HancockBlocked! I know you like angsty stories. Also, the first part was dedicated to you too, so I thought it befitting to give you a true ending. 
> 
> Until next time, JA NE! 
> 
> Follow me on Tumblr: Cuppycakechan.


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